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If we are to judge by the last two debates featuring the men who hope to become the next LA County sheriff, there is not a whole lot of difference between the candidates when it comes to…..well…just about anything.

They are all for a civilian oversight body to monitor the department, even if they differ on what legal powers that body should have. (And Pat Gomez would eliminate the newly-created but power-lite position of Inspector General altogether.) They think term limits for the office of sheriff would be swell. (They’d go for three terms.) They adore community policing. No, they don’t want to do ICE’s job for it. They’re longing for accountability, transparency, and to restore the public trust. They believe in educating people when they’re in jail. They would all rehire Assistant Sheriff Terri McDonald, the Baca hire from the CDCR who is presently overseeing the department’s custody division.

And so on.

For a while, at the Tuesday night debate hosted by Loyola Marymount University, it was more of the same, despite the very capable efforts of the debate moderator, LMU prof Fernando Guerra.

Yes, some of the candidates brought up variations on the theme that showed they’d thought deeply on this or that topic, and were not merely a Johnny Come Lately.

There was also a little bit personal sniping. For instance, as it did on Sunday, the matter of who might or might not have ankle tattoos came up briefly. And Jim Hellmold attempted to set himself apart from the pack by repeatedly noting that he was the youngest of the candidates and implying that everyone else was…well…old.

Bob Olmsted had a bracing moment when the panel members were asked if there were deputy cliques or gangs within the organization.

“Absolutely we’ve got cliques,” he said, “and I’ve got some pictures.” With that Olmsted whipped out a couple of photos for the cameras filming the event, one showing a young Tanaka throwing a “C” for Carson sign while posed with a bunch of other then young department members. The second a photo of a drawing of a skull backed by a so called deadman’s hand, which is reportedly the tattoo design sported by members of one of the newer deputy gangs, the Jump Out Boyz.

But, mostly the sheriff hopefuls gave the impression that, when it came to the broad strokes of policy, there was more accord than difference.

Finally Guerra managed to break through the wall of sameness when he asked all six of the candidates to name what they saw as the number one scandal of all the department’s many problems.

(Only six were present as Lou Vince was absent)

Even then, for a minute it looked as though the group would homogenize this question too, when four in a row named the prime scandal as inmate abuse in the jails—although some gave edgier answers than others. (Tanaka and Hellmold both were reluctant to admit to any real corruption in the organization.)

Jim McDonnell said it was hard to choose, that there were so many scandals, and he talked of “the abuse of authority that’s been sanctioned up to the highest levels of the organization…”

Bob Olmsted too named abuse in the jails, but then he went further and said that the worst part of the whole thing was that the department hid what it was doing when the FBI began investigating, which resulted in indictments. “Three of the four supervisors out of the 20 who were indicted were from our criminal investigative unit. They were the ones who were supposed to be investigating, but they needed to be investigated and we were indicted.”

But it was Assistant Sheriff Todd Rogers who finally drew his metaphorical stiletto and began slashing.

“Well,” he said drolly without so much as a telltale glance at his neighbor, who happened to be Paul Tanaka, “I think smuggling bullet proof vests to Cambodia was a pretty big deal.”

Then barely pausing for breath he continued. “But in terms of the single most defining moment of corruption and mismanagement, I’m going to have to go with the Anthony Brown case where at the highest level of our organization ordered deputies sergeants and lieutenants to hide an informant from the FBI, to pretend that he was released from our custody…. And to change his name and move him from facility to facility to the FBI couldn’t find him. I think it’s reprehensible that we have deputies, sergeants and lieutenants who were following orders from the highest levels of the organization…

“I’m told that the previous occupant of my office was giving the direction to hide this inmate from the FBI.
Those people [who were ordered to do the hiding] are indicted for federal crimes and they’re facing trial starting this May. And those people who gave them the orders, who gave them the directions… are walking around free.

“That to me is the defining moment of corruption and mismanagement of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.”

Boo-yaa!

And while we’re on the topic of dutiful order-followers in a paramilitary organization facing having their lives wrecked, not to mention real prison time, while those who actually gave the orders are thus far facing exactly zero consequences….oh, FBI and U.S. Attorney’s Office, are you listening…? You do plan to go higher with your indictments, right? Right????

AND WHILE WE’RE ON THE TOPIC OF LAW ENFORCEMENT, THERE’S THE MATTER OF 80 OF THE LAPD’S SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS BEING DISMANTLED AND THE FAILURE OF DEPARTMENT BRASS TO INVESTIGATE

Los Angeles police officers tampered with voice recording equipment in dozens of patrol cars in an effort to avoid being monitored while on duty, according to records and interviews.

An inspection by Los Angeles Police Department investigators found about half of the estimated 80 cars in one South L.A. patrol division were missing antennas, which help capture what officers say in the field. The antennas in at least 10 more cars in nearby divisions had also been removed.

LAPD Chief Charlie Beck and other top officials learned of the problem last summer but chose not to investigate which officers were responsible. Rather, the officials issued warnings against continued meddling and put checks in place to account for antennas at the start and end of each patrol shift.

Members of the Police Commission, which oversees the department, were not briefed about the problem until months later. In interviews with The Times, some commissioners said they were alarmed by the officers’ attempts to conceal what occurred in the field, as well as the failure of department officials to come forward when the problem first came to light.

ONE TIME BACA’S BIGTIME HOLLYWOOD PAL, BRIEFLY TURNED TANAKA PAL, IS NOW SHERIFF’S CANDIDATE JAMES HELLMOLD’S VERY, VERY HELPFUL PAL

The New York Post has the story. (And why aren’t local LA outlets reporting on this? Just curious.)

Here’s a clip:

Hollywood producer and financier Ryan Kavanaugh is pushing to make some changes to LA law enforcement after ruffling the feathers of former LA Sheriff Lee Baca.

The Relativity CEO was accused last year of improperly landing a helicopter on a Sheriff’s Department helipad while visiting Paul Tanaka — a former undersheriff who was planning to run for Baca’s office, and whom Kavanaugh was assumed to be backing. (The LA district attorney dropped any criminal investigation over the chopper flap.)

But last week, Kavanaugh instead threw a fund-raiser for rival LA County Sheriff candidate James Hellmold. The event was hosted at Kavanaugh’s hanger at the Santa Monica airport, where guests including Ron Burkle and Leonardo DiCaprio chatted with Hellmold and his wife.

49 Responses

Kudos to Todd Rogers for addressing the very painful & destructive lack of action by the US Justice Department. The legal & ethical corrections of the LASD deserve a solid backdrop by which to set the future. The foundation without addressing those issuing the directions would only fuel the confusion of what justices means. The fact that Paul Tanaka can set with the other candidates in the debates is insulting to the others.It’s a sellout of the 99.9% of the staff that are brave, ethical, hard working & professional. Mr. Briotte, hope your appointment to the Federal Bench is an exit stage left. LASD & the 10+ million LA County citizens need a little courage. If ultimately, the prosecution of either Baca and/or Tanaka is not successful, trust me when I say we’ll forgive you and thank you for the effort. It’s the right thing to do!

ALADS are you listening too?!? This is supposed to be your wheelhouse. You know when executives are clearly to blame and deputies pay the price. Oh wait, that’s right I forgot….. Your boy is running for sheriff so we can’t go bat.

In fact, I heard you guys are retaliating against one of the deps on behalf of him. That’s nice. Guess he doesn’t need attorney’s fees or health insurance. Ole dick Shinee playing dirty is what I heard.

Todd Rogers hit the nail on the head! This action completely destroyed the reputation of the Sheiff’s Department to the community and all other Law Enforcement agencies. Even if, as many currently in senior management suggest, the FBI’s use of an informant in a jail facility was dangerous and wrong, the response of the Sheriff and Under Sheriff was stupid!

For our next sheriff to make a real difference he needs to put effective people (not friends or paybacks) in the crutial positions. He shouldn’t run out the upper management personel only because they didn’t endorses him I saw it happen when Block died, (by the way I voted for the dead guy and told everyone who aked me who to vote for and we saw how that turned out) Don’t get me wrong we have lot of good supervisors but as the years have past they are becoming and few and far in between( Dennis Conte is one of those good supervisors and he was from LAPD/ MTA). I was involved with sheriff’s department for 30+ years and I found out very early in my career how certain things operate on this deparment. I had a female cadet in my academy class who most us tried to figure out how she graduated.I wasn’t at the graduation party but I was told by another deputy how showed her appreciation for the position she was given not earned ( she’s probally stripes or bars now as we speak). Over the years I have seen for myself head scratching moves on the part of management. Ive seen or heard of back stabbing, hazings,throwing people under the bus to protect themselve , use of gender to obtain a coveted position or promotion, blackmail, leg humping. Forunately this applies to a small percentage of the number of deputies who leave there homes everyday to do a job most people would not do to serve and protect and without an agenda.The first thing is to revamp the hiring process,give the background investigators ( the ones who know these people best) they should have a say on who we should hire withouth pressure or influence from within the department. The public has seen the direct results the sheriff’s dept current inability to hire the type of people they hired 20+ years ago so they lower the standards and in turn hire people with questionable work history, moral history, character, any prior drug use, DUI’s, job termination to name a few. Another thing I’ve the department do almost like clock work is to move a “problem child” with “overnight transfer) to another unit hoping that everything will be alright, atleast until that same person wears out there welcome at that assignment. I could mention other things that could help improve the sheriff’s dept, but that’s job of the next Sheriff and his command staff to make sure the deputies who risk their live everyday get the support and respect from supervisors, the tools, and the trainning to do a job that often that go with any appreciation for what they do.

#7 Just Saying. Interesting that you mention Dennis Conte, a former LAPD Captain and a good man. I once had a conversation with Dennis about the differences he saw between the LAPD and the LASD. He said the thing that amazed him the most was how the LASD brass were always cognizant of one another’s “territory.” He went on to explain that he had noticed that when an LASD Captain or above was going to make a decision that affected a peer’s domain, they would give the other a call and tell them what was being considered. He said his experience with LAPD was not like that. There, a peers domain was never a consideration, if one could further their own command (and career) at the cost of another, so be it. It made me quite proud of our Dept. and how we conducted business.

I hasten to add that our conversation took place prior to Baca and gang taking charge. I suspect his experiences in the years that followed were quite a bit different than his early years with the LASD.

Celeste, re: you asking the Feds if they’re listening, of course they are. They always listen. Whether or not they do anything pertaining to what they hear is the question. It’s so very simple when you realize it all really comes down to politics. They aren’t about to go after really big fish, unless they think there’s a better than 90% chance they can get a conviction. When you go after really big fish, everybody watches. “LA Sheriff’s Deputies Indicted” draws some attention. “LA Sheriff Indicted” is the big leagues. Everybody will be watching.
Re: that glowing endorsement you gave of the man in charge of deciding who gets indicted and who doesn’t, you may very well feel differently when this all plays out.
It’s pretty obvious that he’s taking the politically safest route possible, not the route that a true seeker of justice would seek.
The minute that he decided a crime had been committed and decided to indict those deputies, he knew ( who couldn’t know? ) that the sheriff and undersheriff were involved. If that’s not enough, you have the sheriff and undersheriff on news interviews incriminating each other about who was in the loop and who wasn’t. Even a complete idiot knows that the underlings who were indicted were following orders from higher up. You won’t find anybody with a scintilla of knowledge about how a LE organization works that will even suggest that those people indicted weren’t following orders. Yet they only indicted the underlings. Why? What’s the reasoning behind that?
They’re using the indicted underlings, which is only a big story in LA, to test the waters. Mr. B isn’t about to take the political risk of indicting the sheriff and undersheriff, which would be national news and would get significant air time, without first testing the waters.
Bottom line: Mr. B isn’t going to risk being the guy who loses his highest notoriety case up to now. That doesn’t look good on one’s resume.
He knows the truth. You know he knows the truth. Let’s wait and see if he’s a true seeker of justice instead of a just another government official looking for the next promotion.
If you have an emotional attachment in wanting to see Mr. T behind bars, which it appears you do, you may very well end up not thinking so highly of Mr. B down the line.
Especially if Mr. T ends up being the next sheriff.

Todd Rogers just earned a lot of respect from me. He’s right. The fact that two Lieutenants, two Sergeants and three Deputies are being held accountable for an operation that Baca and Tanaka ordered (and I know they did, for a fact. Not rumor, fact.) is proof positive that the Feds are picking low hanging fruit and moving on. No real change. Just lip service to the concept of busting corruption.

What nerve of these Sheriff candidates to actually believe they should be anointed and promoted to higher office for tolerating the abuse and corruption. Hellmold is a doofus. His only qualification is he was Baca driver and its known Baca behind the scenes working to get his “boy” elected. They should all be ashamed as they were part of the problem. I agree why isn’t the LOCAL MEDIA reporting that Hellmold ALREADY is showing unethical behavior? The dedicated and hard working Deputies who remain committed to public safety deserve better and gain their public trust back. These sheriff candidates are an insult to the badge

For the record, I myself have no emotional attachment to any of the candidates. Hence my ability (it doesn’t mean I’m smart, it just means I’m not blinded by emotion) to not get caught up in beating the drum for any candidate. Nor beating the drum against any candidate. Like I said in a previous thread, none of the candidates are as good as some claim, and none of them are as bad as some others claim. They’re ALL politicians. For anybody that is/was beating the Hellmold drum, that move of his to switch political affiliation the day before announcing and then trumpet how he’s the only progressive democrat in the race is absolutely priceless.
Things like that show you a person’s true colors. Oh, and they ALL said they would bring Terri McDonald back? Is that right? I wonder what they were saying behind closed doors the day after Baca brought in the CDC bureaucrat. I don’t think they were praising that decision to their closest buddies when nobody else was around. That doesn’t pass the sniff test with me.
And speaking of “outsiders”, how come some of you people who are all up in arms and rail against McDonnell because he’s an outsider aren’t upset that your guy is going to keep the outsider McDonald in place. In an assistant sheriff position even. Lol. That’s what happens when you have emotional attachment. You overlook your candidate’s hypocrisy and shortcomings, while pointing them out about the other candidates. Not a single one of them had the guts to say that the answer to the LASD’s problems isn’t to bring in a CDC bureaucrat.

@ Wild Turkey, I definitely agree with you that Todd earned a lot of my respect for publicly admitting that Department Exec’s ordered the moving of Anthony Brown. However, Nobody in Custody gets moved around like that by OSJ, with out many Exec’s knowing about it. Todd has my respect to be in a position that I believed he earned. However, if he truly wanted reform, and to be the next Sheriff, he should not have waited until the last guy stepped aside.

Assistant Sheriff James Hellmold was very impressive on the Tim Conway Radio Show. He chose to focus on the tragedy where 9 college bound students were killed in a horrific collision. He was extremely empathetic to the victims and explained the role of first responders in fatal collisions. He dropped any political interests and represented the Sheriff’s Department in a positive way. We certainly need more of a positive influence in the community. Good for him.

Patch: FYI Rogers made a back room deal to become A/S. Rogers told Baca that he wouldn’t run if Baca made him the A slash! Give me a break. If Baca was still around we could ask him but we all know Baca hasn’t a clue. For any A/S to say or imply they didn’t know only proves their incompetence!!

On the Patch- You are 100% correct. ALL of Greg Thompson and his troops at OSJ;s actions regarding Anthony Brown were in response to orders from Paul Tanaka. I know that for a fact. Todd was a coward, most likely, and kept quiet until it was beneficial for him to step forward.

Mr.Crenshaw,
Our last sheriff was known as “warm and caring”. How did that work out for the citizens of LA County?
Besides, Hellmold has already proven to me he’s as phony as a three dollar bill. When a guy switches political affiliations the day before he announces he’s running and then trumpets himself as the only progressive democrat in the race, I don’t trust him. That tells me he’ll do anything and SAY anything that he thinks gains him favor with those listening. He’s a panderer. He could of been telling the truth about his feelings. He also could of been using a tragedy as a way to ingratiate himself with voters. If that’s the case it’s despicable. How can I tell? You just never know with a phony slippery guy like that. How can I trust anything he says? Even about how he feels?

I have a question for anyone in the know. Are members of of the Lynwood Vikings LASD clique running Paul Tanaka’s campaign. If so. Who are they and what’s their history. The election is getting close and on the outside Tanaka seems ok but I see a sinister side as well.

Peter Crenshaw, you sound confused. If Hellmold was on a radio show, odds are he was not representing the Department but himself as candidate for sheriff. That he chose to discuss the tragedy is a good thing, however that does not change who he is or what he represents.

A School Lesson on Safety- All this blah blah blah about how Baca made a deal with Todd “Safely” Rogers not to run. That’s the funniest load I’ve ever heard. Rogers didn’t stand a chance to beat Baca, doesn’t stand a chance to get into a runoff, and has already secured a deal with his friend McDonnell to be the U/S. Baca had zero fear of Rogers because he’s not to be feared. He’s played it “safe” his entire career. Tanaka saw right through him and had him riding the pine for years. Ask anybody who ever worked for Todd what he did for them. I’m sure you know the answer. The best thing that has happened to Rogers is his Daddy John Scott being placed as interim. That allows him to campaign on duty with impunity. For all you Rogers wonderers…Here’s the plan. Help McDonnell win the election, serve as his Undersheriff for 6-9 years and then get the nod. He still wins the prize and only as he can, “Safely.” As for all the rhetoric and grandiose talk lately, what’s he got to lose? McDonnell has his back. He’s “Safe.” Boomer!

Celeste, Been trying to remain somewhat measured in my view of the lack of Federal action re: those who ordered the “disappearance of Anthony Brown” , either Mr Tanaka & or Mr. Baca. As has been said, there is zero chance that the indicted staff didn’t act without direction from the aforementioned individuals. Also there is no doubt that that those indicted are cooperating in the investigation. Both Tanaka & Baca have implicated each other publicly. Those indicted, as a friend mentioned, are in stocks in front of the FBI Building with pigeon crap on their heads. All the while Tanaka sits as the Mayor of Gardena, participates in the Sheriff debates & leads a very Full life. Lee Baca meanwhile is thrusting at further windmills looking another gift to add to his treasure chest.
Mr. B the truth will ultimately come out, hope you’re not embarrassing yourself. & disappointing your fans.

@NoViking- Here’s your history lesson. The Lynwood Vikings were a group of hard-charging deputies formed in the early 80′s who worked extremely hard at keeping the city of Lynwood safe, put a lot of bad guys in jail and prison, generally did so after dark, drank a few beers after work, chased a few women, and then got up the next day to do it again. They picked up a bad rap because a few liberals needed a controversy. As far as them being a white supremacy group, I’d ask this question of Judge Hatter who coined the phrase: How do you explain the Black, Hispanic, and Asian Lynwood Vikings? Are they white supremacy members too? Vote for who you want but don’t come on this site making moronic statements. It diminishes your stock. Boom!

Boomer,
Good call re: Rogers playing it “safe”. I like your analysis of how Rogers’ plan is to get appointed undersheriff and then play it “safe” and wait for the nod. I think that’s a realistic picture you’ve painted.
I mean, we’ve seen it before.
One time I saw an undersheriff play it so “safe” he remained silent while it was completely obvious to everybody that the sheriff, his boss, was delusional. He remained silent while he new his sheriff was squashing narco investigations of people close to the sheriff. He knew the sheriff was doing unethical things and instituting insane policies. Through it all he played it “safe” and waited for the nod. He didn’t go the media. He didn’t run against his boss. He just sat quietly because he was waiting for the nod. The sheriff promised him that when the sheriff stepped down he would appoint him sheriff. But the sheriff kept running for reelection through four terms. The sheriff was even going to run for a fifth term.
Still, the undersheriff sat quietly and waited for the nod.

Then it happened.
Some serious heat came down and the sheriff stabbed the undersheriff in the back and threw him under the bus as soon as it became politically expedient for the sheriff.
So playing it safe didn’t quite work out the way that particular undersheriff thought it would.

It wouldn’t surprise me one bit if you are 100% correct that Rogers’ is playing it safe in order to achieve his political aspirations.
We’ve seen it before.

“Oh Well”, you want to call out Mr Hellmold, I’m calling you out. You wanna say Mr Hellmold is “phony”? You want to say negative things about this man? Fine. I’m calling you out. Your an IDIOT! What about that?

Ok Line Guy.
I’m an idiot. I never claimed I was smart. Here’s what I claim.
I don’t have an emotional attachment to any candidate so I’m not blinded by said emotion. I see the faults of all the candidates. I recognize them. I don’t overlook them. I’m not in denial because I’m a personal friend or have a personal or professional interest ( getting promoted or keeping my assignment ) in any of the candidates.
I’m not blindly loyal to any candidate.

Therefore I don’t reply to other’s posts like you did in #27. Golly gee. That hurt. Especially since your reply was so well thought out and based on articulable facts. You’re not simply giving your opinion from a purely emotional position. You obviously have taken the time to reflect in a mature way about the actions of the candidate you so support with such passion.
I’m obviously not in your league intellectually. I’m an idiot and you’re the smart guy.
I realize that.
Unfortunately, I’ll continue to give my idiotic observations of the candidates. If they are negative, I won’t back them up with any examples that can’t be honestly disputed, I’ll just pop off with idiotic immature comments like a grade school kid on the playground.
You’ll just have to put up with me.

Oh Well, You lost me on your last post. Lee Baca had four Undersheriff’s, non of which provided any real resistance to the folly. To his credit Larry Waldie would at least argue sometimes but was hardly a symbol of above board leadership. The rumors about Waldie were world class sub-rosa, a lot fiction but all believable. It appears that unlike the others Paul Tanaka set about to construct the organization around his own self interest & was wildly successfull. The how of that, of course, ends with the eviserated reputation of a once proud, first class major law enforcement agency.
I have agreed with several of your posts but to characterize Paul Tanaka as a true soldier & a victim, seriously undermines your standing. I guess the question to you is, is “omertà” one of your bedrock belief’s? All four of Baca’s Undersheriff’s deserve scorn, several though warrant jailing.

BTW Boomer,
How should we classify a certain candidate’s failure to openly, publicly voice his support for his subordinates that are under indictment?
Should we classify that as “playing it safe”?
Or is that different? Should we consider that as “playing it safe BUT for a really good reason”
Would that reason be that it wouldn’t be advantageous to him in his bid to become sheriff?

When you point out the faults of other candidates while you beat the drum of a candidate that possesses the very same faults, it’s tough for an unbiased observer to take you seriously.
Of course Rogers is playing it safe. I’ve got news for you. So is your man. Your man is currently playing it safe politically just as he did for years until the sheriff stabbed him in the back. Now he’s forced to step up and spend the money on a campaign and subject himself to the voting process if he wants to be sheriff. Nobody, even you Boomer, can deny with a straight face that your guy played it safe up until after Baca threw him under the bus.
No? Your guy has said that Baca was “out of touch” “gave orders that were either unethical, unclear or just didn’t make any sense” etc. etc. Boomer, let me ask you the most important question up to now. Did the sheriff just morph into a delusional, unethical, totally unfit candidate for sheriff the day after he finessed your guy? Or was he like that all along? Even for those years your guy was in his inner circle?
So concerning the topic of:
“Hoping to become sheriff by making a back room deal with the sheriff and then PLAYING IT SAFE until getting the nod”
That’s definitely isn’t something I myself would be bringing up if I was trying to get your guy elected.
That’s EXACTLY the way your guy tried to become sheriff.

Jesus Boomer. You’re a cop. A professional bullshit detector. What is it that makes you think you can get that bullshit by a fellow cop? Another professional bullshit detector?

Ah yes. It’s the emotional attachment. That’s what causes the eyes to fog over and your brain to function a little less reliably. It doesn’t mean you’re a bad guy. It doesn’t even mean that you’re not ten times the cop I ever thought about being. It just means that your emotional attachment to a particular candidate is making you say some really stupid shit.

None of them have budged an inch about their beliefs pertaining to following lawful orders. There is this thing called PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records). You should give a try. I have attached the link below.

The AUSA make it pretty clear these people did not do enough “cooperating”.

Stepping up and answering tough questions during a grand jury is what these guys did, but not what you are saying. Have the spine to call them what you were inferring.

I am not a fan of a lot of these guys, but I admire their resolve.

Remember they are out in the rain because the department put them there. ALADS, 8th floor executives, anybody care to join the people who are sending them money, food, support?!?

Nope, you just signed their 1801′s and forgot about them, bastards (I am directly referring to the beloved SEB two star and company who were in their chain of command at the time)…. He never has conscious issues anyway.

Here is a hypothesis which provides the structure for one person to understand the indictments involving Operation Pandora, the lack of prosecution on the top dogs and the nomination of U.S. Attorney Birotte to fill a federal judgeship. I’m not here to prove the hypothesis because it involves elements which will probably never receive formal confirmation by the agencies involved. If you find any part of the hypothesis rings true – then fine. If any part sounds too unbelievable – then it doesn’t work for you and that is fine.

There is no agenda here and I don’t care if anyone accepts this hypothesis or not – it works for me. thanks for taking the time to read and enjoy the ride.

Who really cares about rogue deputy cliques and a pattern of abuse against L.A. County Jail inmates?
Not Sheriff Lee Baca or Paul Tanaka or the L.A. County Board of Supervisors. Not Gov. Brown, Not Sen. Boxer or Sen.Feinstein, not Pres. Obama and not the heads of the U.S. D.O.J.
They care about themselves and their paychecks and pensions, their perks and their turf. They only care about the L.A. County Jails if it begins to threaten their power and perks.
The indictments never needed to happen. The D.O.J. doesn’t care about the jails or Pandora’s Box or Anthony Brown.
The indictments could have been avoided with one simple admission and apology from Mr. Baca or Mr. Tanaka for crossing the line – sending Deputies to verbally challenge an F.B.I. agent at her home.
Because Baca and Tanaka are selfish megalomaniacs neither had the decency to say “I was out of line for sending my goons to your agent’s front door, I’m sorry and i promise it will never happen again.”
Baca’s lack of contrition earned him a round of headline grabbing deputy indictments that sealed his fate with Yaroslavsky and Knabe. Their political consultants crunched the survey numbers – Baca’s support is too weak to guarantee reelection. The kingmakers don’t take chances on leaving Baca in the race and vulnerable to an upset by an independent candidate.

it doesn’t matter whether Operation Pandora was directed by Baca or Tanaka – it was and will remain a legacy of Sheriff Baca’s over-inflated ego and arrogant leadership.

Sheriff Baca once visited a Congressional committee and received a finger-wagging lecture from a Midwest Congressman. Baca listened patiently and then he responded by sending the object lesson right back C.O.D., six months later that Congressman was gone.

Baca would put these new young agents in their place and teach them whats-what. Baca thought his unwritten history of assisting the F.B.I. gave him actual rank over the agents running an investigation using informant Anthony Brown.

Playing cat and mouse using inmate Anthony Brown – the F.B.I. wouldn’t give a rat’s backside. But nobody gets to face down an agent at her front door – that’s a big no-no!

The deputy indictments are the F.B.I. answer to Pandora at their front door. But there is no reason to indict Baca himself – its even between F.B.I. and Baca now.

What about Birotte? The man has survived a long time doing a good job despite political forces pushing and pulling at his door, but he has his own integrity to maintain and he has run the clock on Baca and Tanaka as far as is credible.

Birotte is ready to indict the big dog, the file is ready.
But Holder won’t allow it – its simply not worth the potential cost.

The F.B.I knows about Baca. Baca knows what the Feds have buried in L.A. County.

Hoover’s efforts to discredit and destroy the Black Panther Party. The successful effort to frame Black Panther Geronimo Pratt for murder and violate due process rights to win an illegal conviction. Hoover needed assistance from local contacts to send agent provocateurs into the Chicano Moratorium in order for LASD to unleash the riot squad.

The Feds simply cannot send Lee Baca to prison. He has helped them with too many off-the-book favors over the decades.

If Birotte hands up an indictment on Baca, then Holder has to pull the switch on the trap door. But that is messy and embarrassing for the White House.

Birotte gave Holder his 3 options – let me finish filing charges on Operation Pandora, fire me, or I have to resign.

Obama and Holder came up with a 4th option for Birotte – put on the black robe, grab the gavel and start answering to the title of Your Honor.

Hey “Prophet Mo” the last few sentences at the end of your blog makes sense on how Birotte can move from his assignment. Sounds like a stand off to me or is the U.S. Attorneys office waiting for a few more investigations to wrap up linked to Pandoras Box.

#30, Past,
I was addressing Boomer’s castigation of Rogers by saying Rogers made a deal and is trying to become sheriff through appointment from McDonnel.
My point is that Paul Tanaka never stepped up and ran against Baca. Even when he knew Baca was crazy as hell and crooked as hell. My point was that Boomer’s guy, Tanaka, has been guilty as hell of playing it safe.
How you came to the conclusion that I was inferring Tanaka was a true soldier or a victim is beyond me.
Because I said Baca stabbed him in the back? Because I said Baca threw him under the bus?
Sorry sir if that rubbed you wrong. But when you consider that Baca had promised Tanaka the big seat, and then “finessed” him as soon as the heat came down, how else would you classify that?
I’ve never considered Tanaka a victim.
No, Omertà isn’t one of my core beliefs. Lol. I was being critical of Tanaka for remaining silent while Baca was pulling his crap. Not praising him for it.
Sorry if I didn’t make that clear enough.

Prophet Mo’ Teff, interesting scenario, but you’re reaching back four decades to the Chicano moratorium for dirt on the feds, I think you’re losing credibility there. Then to assume a very junior sgt/lt Baca was in the position to be in possession of material harmful to the feds stretches your theory even further. Both Birotte and Holder were in grade school at the time, and the actions of the feds of four decades ago doesn’t carry a whole lot of weight for current predicaments.

The indictments so far will have to be taken to court and proven beyond a reasonable doubt. I sincerely hope the feds did their homework and understood the fallout for not indicting the path of pointing fingers to the top.

Oh Well, Thanks for the clarification. My point though is, Tanaka was exploiting the environment Baca created & in reality was anything but silent. He was way worse & created what appears to have been a criminal enterprise. The ethical stage was set, his predecessors, Myron, Stonich & Waldie established a framework devoid of true values. Think of it like a contagious disease (Executive unethical behavior) that predictably starts spot fires throughout the organization. The list of the spot fires is extensive. Like in a health epidemic, once it reaches a certain number of infections (spot fires) it becomes an uncontrollable pandemic. In my mind Tanaka represents the sinister, Myron the Mayor of Mayberry, Stonich the Capo that says give the boss what he wants no matter, Waldie let’s make a deal irrespective of any rules & oh don’t you behave like me. The angle of response became less & less with the ingredients added by the aforementioned crew, Lee Baca took a solid mountain of work and literally liquified it.
ANY of the present candidates, except of course Tanaka, looks like a bright light compared to whom they seek to replace.

Boomer,
Count me in on your book. Anything to support the cause. Will I find it in the fiction or comedy section? How many copies do you have to sell to pay for the operation for your myopia? I’ll tell all my friends to buy it. Seriously, I’ll tell both of them. I’m all about doing my part to help a hard charging gun slinging hooking and booking ghetto cop see clearly once again.
P.S. I like #25. No beef with it.

@OhWell. I intend to sell the book as “non-fiction,” but I’ll undoubtedly be called out by Amazon, etc., because they won’t know whether to categorize it as drama, fiction, humor, health mind and soul, travel, history, mafia, memoir, business, fun & games, performing arts, religion, social science, or philosophy. But I’m sure we all agree on one thing, it fits best in “Self-Help.”

@LATBG- See below for one of your previous posts where you comment on the importance of following the money, Nalbanian the “Bundler,” and pontification about being on board with the honest and ethical Bob Olmstead. So now that it is a known fact that Nalbanian is “Bundling” for Olmstead how would you like to respond? Step up and answer the question or remain silent, to use your words, without a “spine” like a “gaggle of jellyfish.” Boomer.

36. LATBG Says:
October 11th, 2013 at 3:31 pm
Following the money is always a good practice – it tells the story without all the bs. Nalbanian, the self-professed terrorism “expert,” who Baca claimed is the only thing standing between us and another 911, raised over $140,000 for Moonbeam as a “bundler” of campaign contributors.
Anybody left standing who still wants to claim to be an honest, ethical, member of this department (past or present) should sprout a spine and tell Bob Olmsted thank you and where do I sign up to help? The department needs good leadership, not a gaggle of jellyfish.”

@LATBG- Believe me, I’m focused. Razor sharp focus. Read the posts about Nalbandian and you’ll see how focused. Don’t freak out because I have the ability to think and maneuver at the same time. Do some research and you’ll learn for some cognitive reasoning and motor skills function simultaneously.

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